For me, the opening paragraph of this article was powerful right from the statement that states that being “Caught between categories, the grotesque momentarily robs of us of language, of any kind of agency that we would assert against the unspoken paradoxes and hypocrisies of culture”, specifically referencing horror and humor.
I find this incredibly relevant as a coping mechanism as well as a way to make people pay attention to real world issues. The amount of issues that then communicated in a joking matter is incredible, especially in our world of memes and other forms of social media gags.
The article covers the Chapman Brothers, who manipulated Goya’s prints on war. The article shares “The brothers’ “rectification” of the 82 prints, aptly named Insult to Injury, made its first appearance in a 2003 show called The Rape of Creativity at the Modern Art Oxford (Jones). It drew widespread criticism for “vandalizing” and “defacing” an Old Master’s work while simultaneously garnering praise for bringing to light the true horrors of war. These “enfants terribles of the art world,” continued to be labeled as either adolescent narcissists or the champions of humanism.”
Art and War 